We are about to start using a new and much improved vaccine for Leptospirosis. It will give far superior protection to your dog against this very serious, usually fatal (and potentially infectious to humans) disease. The new vaccine, Nobivac L4, launched by MSD Animal Health, offers broader protection against leptospirosis and is the first tetravalent vaccine against the disease in Europe. Bivalent vaccines have previously been used to immunise dogs against leptospirosis, but due to changes in the epidemiology, vaccinated dogs have become vulnerable to infection through contact with leptospira serovars that are not covered by the current vaccine.Wrekin View will be using the new vaccine by the end of August 2013.

Several dogs have died in what the PDSA has described as a serious outbreak of Canine Parvovirus in Staffordshire. Dog owners in the Stoke-on-Trent area are being urged to get their pets vaccinations up to date after the sudden rise in the number of cases of the potentially fatal disease. Vets at Stoke’s PDSA in Club Street have reported seeing up to five cases a day of suspected canine parvovirus, compared to the ‘normal’ rate of just one a week.Parvovirus: highly contagious A highly contagious viral disease, symptoms of Parvovirus can include severe vomiting, bloody diarrhoea, dehydration and heart problems. Dogs that develop Parvovirus infection show symptoms of the illness within three to 10 days of contacting the virus. Parvovirus can be fatal, especially in young dogs. It spreads from dog to dog in faeces and the virus is able to survive for long periods in the environment. Protection against the disease is given as part of a vaccination course which should be boosted annually. Parvovirus can be fatal especially in puppies Duncan Senior, senior veterinary surgeon at the PDSA in Stoke-on-Trent said: "Parvovirus is a severe, highly infectious disease that can often be fatal, particularly in puppies. "We saw a surge of cases two months ago, but this seemed to be tapering off. "However in the last week we have been inundated. This indicates a serious outbreak, and sadly there have been several fatalities. "I would urge all owners to make sure their pets' vaccinations are up to date." Warning over at risk areas

Vets advise clients with puppies that have not completed their vaccination course to be very careful about taking them to public places such as parks, dog toileting areas, shopping areas. All adult dogs whose vaccinations are not up to date are potentially at risk so they should receive a booster ASAP. Maria Bailie of Cardiff Dogs Home said: "It's incredibly important to get the message out there," she said. "You can liken it to the measles outbreak in Swansea that is spreading because people opted not to have the vaccination and I think something similar is happening here with parvovirus." In the past few months, vets while also dealing with individual cases nationwide on a regular basis, have also reported a number of serious outbreaks involving several dogs at a time. Outbreaks have taken place across the country including;

July: Bolton, Lancs, several cases reported

June: Bradford, Yorks, three cases reported, two dogs die

May: Swindon, Wilts, nine dogs die

April: South Wales, a new outbreak after the death of seven dogs in Cardiff in November last year

March: Aberdeen, one dog dies

February: Burnley, Lancs, five dogs die

Leigh, Lancs, 9 dogs die, while in Leicestershire there are a further 3 deaths

Rob is now able to offer this absolutely up-to-date referral-level cruciate repair here at Wrekin View. It is a technique that is most applicable to larger dogs that suffer this serious injury to their knees. Traditionally larger heavier dogs would need referral to a specialist centre for this operation, at a specialist centre price!

Every dog owner in England will have to microchip their animal from 2016 under plans intended to cut a rise in strays.The microchips will be coded with owners' details, and owners who do not comply could face fines of up to £500.A legal loophole may also be closed, meaning owners could be prosecuted over an attack by their dog on private land.The RSPCA welcomed the proposals, but said it doubted that they alone would "make owners more responsible or ensure fewer dogs bite people".Government figures reveal that more than 100,000 dogs are dumped or lost each year, at a cost of £57m to the taxpayer and welfare charities.Ministers hope the change in the law will help reunite owners with lost or stolen pets and relieve some of the burden on animal charities and local authorities.

Our ONLINE shop is now open for business. Please click here to have a look around. Delivered is FREE to our surgeries or a very reasonable £4.95 + VAT to any address... this is for any amount, so a good opportunity to stock up on pet food the easy way!

Our new ONLINE SHOP will be going live from next month so please check back then and have a look around. It will offer a complete range of pet foods and accessories, all at competitive prices. Products can be delivered to home for a modest charge, or to Wrekin View for FREE.

From October 1st 2012, there will be new consulting hours at Shifnal surgery. We will be open for consultations Monday/Wednesday and Friday mornings from 8.30am to 9.10am; also Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 5.20pm to 6.30pm for consultations.On Tuesday and Thursday mornings, the surgery will be open from 9am to 10am for over-the-counter purchases and for the collection of prescriptions, but there will be no consultations available those mornings.